DAVID PRICE is one fight away from qualification for this summer's Olympic Games after another terrific performance at the European Championships in Croatia last night.

DAVID PRICE is one fight away from qualification for this summer's Olympic Games after another terrific performance at the European Championships in Croatia last night.

Liverpool's 20-year-old super-heavyweight champion destroyed Turkey's Kurban Gunbdakan to move into the quarter-finals - four rounds from a medal and a place at Athens 2004.

World number two Roberto Cannavelle of Italy will be favourite when Price steps into the ring with him tomorrow, but one thing the Scouser is not short of right now is confidence.

Speaking to the ECHO from his hotel in Pula, Price said: "The Italian is one of the favourites to go all the way. He won a silver medal at the Europeans last year and is expecting to qualify, no doubt, but I'm boxing well.

"Even if I don't qualify here, the important thing is I know I can mix it with the best in the world. And I know that I have the ability to qualify later in the year if it doesn't happen this week."

Turkish champion Gunbdakan finished eighth at the World Championships in Bangkok last summer and stepped into the ring with a reputation as a strong, bullish fighter.

Four rounds later, and the Scouser was celebrating one of the most convincing performances of his career as he sailed to a 49-25 points decision.

"He was tailor-made for my style," Price revealed. "He was strong and had a heavy right hand, but once I realised that I just kept moving away from it and sending my own left hands over the top of his guard.

"By the last session I was throwing corkscrew shots with my hands by my waist. I was landing at will and making it look easy - that give me a real buzz.

"Now I'm four rounds away from every athlete's dream and come Wednesday night I'm going to give it 100 per cent."

Price is one of just three English boxers left in the tournament after a nightmare weekend.

That figure was down to just two yesterday when Sunderland heavyweight David Dolan originally lost out, only for the decision to be overturned following an appeal from England officials.

London middleweight Darren Barker is the third English boxer left in the tournament.